Hello! My name is Simren Bhatt and I'm from Little Falls, New Jersey. I am 17 and will be entering my senior year of high school! My interest in science related topics was sparked at a primarily young age, when my first grade teacher stated that we would be taking care of young chicks, as part of a science experiment. In this experiment, we would be observing the growth and behavioral patterns of the chicks for about three weeks. I was immensely awed at the prospect of taking care of these seemingly tiny, cute animals, but also interested in doing an "actual science experiment" for once.
In the future, I wish to further expand my knowledge on the field of biology, by majoring in it, in college. I am also interested in pursuing research as well. In school, I have encountered a few experiences that have cultivated my interest in science. In the fall of my freshman year, my Biology Honors teacher was a physician and practiced medicine for a long time before she decided to teach. She had so much knowledge about this subject that it motivated me to further expand my horizons, regarding biology. Fast-forward to junior year, that same teacher taught me AP Biology and it was a great experience to explore the subject even further. Besides taking these courses, in my sophomore year, I participated in a Chemagination, a contest in which high school students are asked to design an innovative idea that has been introduced in the field of chemistry in the year 2041. There are a multitude of categories that students are allowed to enter, such as Alternative Energy, Environment, Medicine/Health, and New Materials. My partner and I decided to enter the Environment category and created "fireproof trees," as a way to combat the problem of ongoing forest fires. Overall, it was a great experience and interesting to see the amazing ideas that all of the other students came up with. In school, I play field hockey and I am the Vice President of my school's Literary Club and Future Doctor's of America Club. Some of my hobbies include reading and writing.
What is De-extinction? (Mammoth regeneration) The term de-extinction is known as the process of generating an organism or a species that is similar to an extinct species. There have been many proposals to go about the process of de-extinction or resurrection biology. These processes include cloning and selective breeding. Primarily, Woolly mammoth regeneration would be done through reproductive cloning. In the overall scheme of things, de-extinction is done through obtaining genetic material from species that are extinct, such as frozen mammoths, through the use of biotechnology and creating live animals in the lab in order to re-establish populations of the species that are extinct, back into the wild. There is a common misconception that synthetic biologists are trying to recreate the actual species, but they are actually trying to make a species that share some of the same genes as the animal that is already extinct. This new species would hopefully act and look like the extinct animal species.
Introduction Researchers are trying to create a species that share some of the same genes as the animal that is already extinct, not recreate the actual species. This new species would hopefully act and resemble the extinct species. There are many species that have already been cloned successfully, such as, Dolly the Sheep, the Pyrenean ibex (wild goat). However, researchers are still trying to explore other possibilities of cloning, such as, through the use of CRSPR, in order to re-create the woolly mammoth.
History of De-Extinction The first successfully cloned animal was Dolly the Sheep. The overall process of cloning Dolly the Sheep is to take 1 somatic (diploid) donor cell of the Finn Dorset ewe, which has the complete genome of that species and add 1 unfertilized egg which would be the recipient with no haploid nucleus, which is followed by 1 electric shock to combine them, which jump starts cell division. Then, it is essential to wait six days and place the embryo into a surrogate mother, in this case, the Blackface ewe. Then, the Blackface ewe gives birth to the baby Finn dorset, named Dolly and this would be identical to the original donor. Behind the Pyrenean Ibex On the date known as July 30, 2003, scientists of French and Spanish descent revived the Pyrenean ibex, which is also known as the bucardo or wild goat. The bucardo was a large animal weighing up to 220 pounds and had long curved horns. It resided in the Pyrenees, or the mountain range dividing France and Spain, and ate leaves and stems, while surviving the harsh winters. However, the introduction of hunting with guns annihilated most of the population. In the year 1989, a team of Spanish scientists came to the realization that only about a dozen of the bucardo population remained. Then, in the year 1999, a single female bucardo named Celia remained and a team from Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, with wildlife veterinarian Alberto Fernández-Arias leading the team. Arias trapped her in a cage and placed a radio collar on Celia’s neck and released her back into the wild. However, about nine months following that event, her radio collar let out a long, steady beep, which meant that Celia had died. She was found crushed beneath a tree that had fallen and this marked the end of the bucardo species. Although Celia had died, her cells had been preserved in labs in Madrid and Zaragoza. Now, in 2003, a man named Dr. Jose Folch transferred the preserved DNA from Celia into the enucleated cells of a domestic goat. Then, Folch and his team implanted three to six embryos into a surrogate mother, which was a domestic goat. Then, a species that was part Spanish ibex and part domestic goat was born. However, the new "clone" only survived ten minutes after birth, due to a lung malfunction.
Process of Bringing Back the Mammoth The purpose of bringing back the woolly mammoth is to not bring back the exact species that went extinct thousands of years, ago, but to create a new species that is similar to the old species that went extinct. For example, Harvard geneticist, George Church, is trying to create a cold resistant hybrid of a woolly mammoth and Asian elephant. Church is using the method of CRSPR (splice mammoth genes into Asian elephant cells), in order to reach his goal. Using CRISPR genome engineering, Church and his team want to essentially “copy and paste” from the mammoth genome into the living elephant cell cultures or fibroblasts. These fibroblasts are being reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These stem cells are considered “immortal” in the lab, which means you do not need cell cultures or harvesting from embryos. The iPSC’s can then be developed into a multitude of types of tissue in order to study mammoth mutation. For example, it can be used to create mammoth red blood cells. These red blood cells can be tested under different temperatures or conditions with no need to produce an animal. Further along his experiment, Church would be able to take the nucleus of an Asian elephant egg cell and have it removed and then replace it with the nucleus of engineered woolly mammoth cells. This embryo, which is fused, will then be further developed in vitro and then implanted into a existing Asian elephant. Then, Church would have to wait two years and hopefully the first mammoth is born again.
Purpose of De-extinction There are many purposes for de-extinction in today’s world. One of these reasons is solely to gain more scientific knowledge. It could offer us more insight into the concept of evolution and certain natural resources that we cannot obtain yet. Also, this process of de-extinction can allow the world to gain environmental benefits. For example, renowned Harvard biologist George Church stated that the goal for de-extinction would be to take existing ecosystems and force them to adapt to the changes in the environment that occur today, for example global warming. By introducing these species again into the environment, it is possible to reverse these changes in the environment. In today’s present day, the ecosystems that rely on keystone species no longer contain the species diversity they once had because these keystone species do not fit the new ecosystems. The environment continues to drastically change and with this, the ancient diversity, such as of the wooly mammoth, may be utilized again. For example, about 4,000 years ago, the tundras that compose Canada and Russia used to be much richer in grass and ice. Fast forward to present day and these ecosystems are melting and if they continue to do so, the greenhouse gases they will omit will be more than if all the forests in the world burned down. By changing a few elements of the genome of the elephant, such as making it have more wool and sebaceous glands, we can create a species that functions similarly to the wooly mammoth. If we return this species that is similar to the mammoth to the tundra, then we could reduce the drastic impacts of global warming. There a multitude of ways in which mammoths could allow the tundra regions to become colder. They can eat the grass that is dead, which can allow the sun to reach the spring grass, and spring grass, with its deep roots, can prevent erosion. These mammoths can also punch through the snow that is insulated and this can allow the air to penetrate the soil. Also, these mammoths can increase the reflected light from felling trees which absorb the sunlight. Another reason that biologists are in favor of de-extinction is that is offers technological advancement. Being able to bring back an animal that functions and looks similar to a wooly mammoth would be a huge step for genetic engineering. Other purposes for de-extinction would be the fact that it would allow us to hopefully protect already existing species. For example, the Tasmanian devil has a transmissible cancer on its face, which can easily spread to the other species. However, with genetic engineering, we can suppress that one gene that causes this cancer in the species and release them into the wild. The new species would be immune to the transmissible cancer in the original Tasmanian devils, thus, the cancer would not spread. Then, eventually, the species would stop dying off and not be endangered.
Cons for the Process of De-extinction While the advantages for undergoing such an ambitious project are extensive, there are still numerous cons to undertaking the task of de-extinction. Many people argue that it is simply unethical and goes against the natural process of Mother Nature. Also, many people argue that scientists should focus on the already endangered animals on Earth and working to conserve them and their habitats, rather than bring back species that went extinct thousands of years ago. Another reason that people are so skeptical about this new process is that something can always go wrong. For example, in the case of cloning Celia, the new hybrid only survived ten minutes after birth because of a deformed lung, this essentially proves that mutations can always occur and researchers cannot always predict these new mutations.
In the future, I wish to further expand my knowledge on the field of biology, by majoring in it, in college. I am also interested in pursuing research as well. In school, I have encountered a few experiences that have cultivated my interest in science. In the fall of my freshman year, my Biology Honors teacher was a physician and practiced medicine for a long time before she decided to teach. She had so much knowledge about this subject that it motivated me to further expand my horizons, regarding biology. Fast-forward to junior year, that same teacher taught me AP Biology and it was a great experience to explore the subject even further. Besides taking these courses, in my sophomore year, I participated in a Chemagination, a contest in which high school students are asked to design an innovative idea that has been introduced in the field of chemistry in the year 2041. There are a multitude of categories that students are allowed to enter, such as Alternative Energy, Environment, Medicine/Health, and New Materials. My partner and I decided to enter the Environment category and created "fireproof trees," as a way to combat the problem of ongoing forest fires. Overall, it was a great experience and interesting to see the amazing ideas that all of the other students came up with. In school, I play field hockey and I am the Vice President of my school's Literary Club and Future Doctor's of America Club. Some of my hobbies include reading and writing.
What is De-extinction? (Mammoth regeneration)
The term de-extinction is known as the process of generating an organism or a species that is similar to an extinct species. There have been many proposals to go about the process of de-extinction or resurrection biology. These processes include cloning and selective breeding. Primarily, Woolly mammoth regeneration would be done through reproductive cloning. In the overall scheme of things, de-extinction is done through obtaining genetic material from species that are extinct, such as frozen mammoths, through the use of biotechnology and creating live animals in the lab in order to re-establish populations of the species that are extinct, back into the wild. There is a common misconception that synthetic biologists are trying to recreate the actual species, but they are actually trying to make a species that share some of the same genes as the animal that is already extinct. This new species would hopefully act and look like the extinct animal species.
Introduction
Researchers are trying to create a species that share some of the same genes as the animal that is already extinct, not recreate the actual species. This new species would hopefully act and resemble the extinct species. There are many species that have already been cloned successfully, such as, Dolly the Sheep, the Pyrenean ibex (wild goat). However, researchers are still trying to explore other possibilities of cloning, such as, through the use of CRSPR, in order to re-create the woolly mammoth.
History of De-Extinction
The first successfully cloned animal was Dolly the Sheep. The overall process of cloning Dolly the Sheep is to take 1 somatic (diploid) donor cell of the Finn Dorset ewe, which has the complete genome of that species and add 1 unfertilized egg which would be the recipient with no haploid nucleus, which is followed by 1 electric shock to combine them, which jump starts cell division. Then, it is essential to wait six days and place the embryo into a surrogate mother, in this case, the Blackface ewe. Then, the Blackface ewe gives birth to the baby Finn dorset, named Dolly and this would be identical to the original donor.
Behind the Pyrenean Ibex
On the date known as July 30, 2003, scientists of French and Spanish descent revived the Pyrenean ibex, which is also known as the bucardo or wild goat. The bucardo was a large animal weighing up to 220 pounds and had long curved horns. It resided in the Pyrenees, or the mountain range dividing France and Spain, and ate leaves and stems, while surviving the harsh winters. However, the introduction of hunting with guns annihilated most of the population. In the year 1989, a team of Spanish scientists came to the realization that only about a dozen of the bucardo population remained. Then, in the year 1999, a single female bucardo named Celia remained and a team from Ordesa and Monte Perdido National Park, with wildlife veterinarian Alberto Fernández-Arias leading the team. Arias trapped her in a cage and placed a radio collar on Celia’s neck and released her back into the wild. However, about nine months following that event, her radio collar let out a long, steady beep, which meant that Celia had died. She was found crushed beneath a tree that had fallen and this marked the end of the bucardo species. Although Celia had died, her cells had been preserved in labs in Madrid and Zaragoza. Now, in 2003, a man named Dr. Jose Folch transferred the preserved DNA from Celia into the enucleated cells of a domestic goat. Then, Folch and his team implanted three to six embryos into a surrogate mother, which was a domestic goat. Then, a species that was part Spanish ibex and part domestic goat was born. However, the new "clone" only survived ten minutes after birth, due to a lung malfunction.
Process of Bringing Back the Mammoth
The purpose of bringing back the woolly mammoth is to not bring back the exact species that went extinct thousands of years, ago, but to create a new species that is similar to the old species that went extinct. For example, Harvard geneticist, George Church, is trying to create a cold resistant hybrid of a woolly mammoth and Asian elephant. Church is using the method of CRSPR (splice mammoth genes into Asian elephant cells), in order to reach his goal.
Using CRISPR genome engineering, Church and his team want to essentially “copy and paste” from the mammoth genome into the living elephant cell cultures or fibroblasts. These fibroblasts are being reprogrammed into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These stem cells are considered “immortal” in the lab, which means you do not need cell cultures or harvesting from embryos. The iPSC’s can then be developed into a multitude of types of tissue in order to study mammoth mutation. For example, it can be used to create mammoth red blood cells. These red blood cells can be tested under different temperatures or conditions with no need to produce an animal. Further along his experiment, Church would be able to take the nucleus of an Asian elephant egg cell and have it removed and then replace it with the nucleus of engineered woolly mammoth cells. This embryo, which is fused, will then be further developed in vitro and then implanted into a existing Asian elephant. Then, Church would have to wait two years and hopefully the first mammoth is born again.
Purpose of De-extinction
There are many purposes for de-extinction in today’s world. One of these reasons is solely to gain more scientific knowledge. It could offer us more insight into the concept of evolution and certain natural resources that we cannot obtain yet. Also, this process of de-extinction can allow the world to gain environmental benefits. For example, renowned Harvard biologist George Church stated that the goal for de-extinction would be to take existing ecosystems and force them to adapt to the changes in the environment that occur today, for example global warming. By introducing these species again into the environment, it is possible to reverse these changes in the environment. In today’s present day, the ecosystems that rely on keystone species no longer contain the species diversity they once had because these keystone species do not fit the new ecosystems. The environment continues to drastically change and with this, the ancient diversity, such as of the wooly mammoth, may be utilized again. For example, about 4,000 years ago, the tundras that compose Canada and Russia used to be much richer in grass and ice. Fast forward to present day and these ecosystems are melting and if they continue to do so, the greenhouse gases they will omit will be more than if all the forests in the world burned down. By changing a few elements of the genome of the elephant, such as making it have more wool and sebaceous glands, we can create a species that functions similarly to the wooly mammoth. If we return this species that is similar to the mammoth to the tundra, then we could reduce the drastic impacts of global warming. There a multitude of ways in which mammoths could allow the tundra regions to become colder. They can eat the grass that is dead, which can allow the sun to reach the spring grass, and spring grass, with its deep roots, can prevent erosion. These mammoths can also punch through the snow that is insulated and this can allow the air to penetrate the soil. Also, these mammoths can increase the reflected light from felling trees which absorb the sunlight. Another reason that biologists are in favor of de-extinction is that is offers technological advancement. Being able to bring back an animal that functions and looks similar to a wooly mammoth would be a huge step for genetic engineering.
Other purposes for de-extinction would be the fact that it would allow us to hopefully protect already existing species. For example, the Tasmanian devil has a transmissible cancer on its face, which can easily spread to the other species. However, with genetic engineering, we can suppress that one gene that causes this cancer in the species and release them into the wild. The new species would be immune to the transmissible cancer in the original Tasmanian devils, thus, the cancer would not spread. Then, eventually, the species would stop dying off and not be endangered.
Cons for the Process of De-extinction
While the advantages for undergoing such an ambitious project are extensive, there are still numerous cons to undertaking the task of de-extinction. Many people argue that it is simply unethical and goes against the natural process of Mother Nature. Also, many people argue that scientists should focus on the already endangered animals on Earth and working to conserve them and their habitats, rather than bring back species that went extinct thousands of years ago. Another reason that people are so skeptical about this new process is that something can always go wrong. For example, in the case of cloning Celia, the new hybrid only survived ten minutes after birth because of a deformed lung, this essentially proves that mutations can always occur and researchers cannot always predict these new mutations.
Sources for Information
http://www.esa.org/esablog/guest-posts/de-extinction-a-risky-ecological-experiment/
http://www.thejournal.ie/science-conference-de-extinction-840062-Mar2013/
http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2013/04/125-species-revival/zimmer-text
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/d-brief/2013/04/04/5-reasons-to-bring-back-extinct-animals-and-5-reasons-not-to/#.V6DcSY-cE2x
http://www.nbcnews.com/science/environment/back-dead-why-de-extinction-may-save-humanity-n164226
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/george-church-de-extinction-is-a-good-idea/
http://www.realclearscience.com/articles/2013/08/01/how_realistic_is_cloning_a_woolly_mammoth_106615.html